I mentioned a while back that I'm working on bringing UAS technology (herinafter mentioned as drone ) to my field of work which is law enforcement. I own a P3A for personal use. Recently I attended training which was the precursor to a local college developing a course on drone operations for both police and civilians. I was the only nerd in class who was up on the nomeclature of these devices and their operation so I hit it off with the presenters. Totally excited because it's actually moving forward. Our Chief is not a techy person but he's seen my Phantom and what it can do & when I explain that the Inspre will have FLiR, spotlights and a speaker...he want's in.
The good part is that it is all good press (except for those who think we'll be spying on them...they prob already hate police anyways so whatever). Last Sunday we had an event with a crowd of about 4K. Family event. I had my drone out and spoke with so many people about them, dispelled rumors and educated the curious. It went over great. Of course some of our town council raised eybrows but still, we're moving in the right direction. In fact one councilmember, who's all bout cutting and saving $$, came around when I told him we could bill surrounding towns for the use of our drone. Surrounding towns have almost weekly homicides, I know that once they find out we have a drone, they'll be calling us asking us to come help.


So, if you are local to NJ, keep an eye out for this:
Essex County College 'First In Nation' To Offer Drone Classes
http://patch.com/new-jersey/mont ... fer-drone-classes-0

It'll be open to anyone, not just law enforcement. I spoke to the CEO of the outfit spearheading this and from what I understand, the course will cost around $1600 and will last a week. It'll earn you college credits and......once done...you will walk out with a Phantom 3 Advanced. They'll also walk you through filing for your 333 exemption.

I'll post more as we progress, fingers crossed.

As retired cop with a commercial pilot's license, I'm hoping to get my 333 in a couple of weeks and am trying to build up a business. Kudos to you and your efforts. My local college better get on with it or they'll be left behind in the coming UAV explosion...

Hey that's great news! even for people half way around the globe like me it's a great change of popular perception of drones

Man you got to hook me up, my work area is Monmouth and middlesex counties, i can help demo and talk up a storm, would love to get in on that 333.

What good is paying that much for a class and getting the 333 exemption if you also need to be a pilot?

venomx15301 Posted at 2015-9-24 20:20
What good is paying that much for a class and getting the 333 exemption if you also need to be a pil ...

Well, for me, as long as I am using it at work, I'll be ok. We'll have a public COA. For personal use, unless you plan on making money with it and unless you operate outside the parameters set for "hobbyists" you don't need a license. That being said, some time within the next 12 months, FAA will be changing what you need with regard to licensing and drones. I've been told that folks will be required to pass some sort of written test focused on safety and flying limitations. Also, in case you missed it, the class includes a PSA. The $1600 mark was their pricepoint when creating the course, I believe it may go lower, maybe 1300, so for folks who don't own a phantom yet, it actually sounds like a good deal.